An oceanographer is testing a miniature cylindrical sensor capsule by releasing it from rest at the top of a deep calibration column filled with a viscous silicone fluid.
The mass of the sensor capsule is 0.18 kg0.18 \text{ kg}0.18 kg. The gravitational field strength is g=9.8 N/kgg = 9.8 \text{ N/kg}g=9.8 N/kg. Calculate the weight of the sensor capsule.
Use the equation:
weight=mass×gravitational field strength \text{weight} = \text{mass} \times \text{gravitational field strength} weight=mass×gravitational field strengthThe oceanographer measures the time taken for the capsule to descend through a marked vertical distance of 0.756 m0.756 \text{ m}0.756 m in the fluid. The times recorded for three consecutive test runs are 1.76 s1.76 \text{ s}1.76 s, 1.83 s1.83 \text{ s}1.83 s, and 1.81 s1.81 \text{ s}1.81 s. Calculate the mean time taken for the capsule to fall through this distance.
Calculate the mean speed of the sensor capsule during this descent using your calculated mean time from part (b) and the formula:
speed=distancetime \text{speed} = \frac{\text{distance}}{\text{time}} speed=timedistance